#mobile
- Inside the Galaxy Watch3: ECG and Fall Detection Go Mainstream
Samsung's Galaxy Watch3 brings ECG and automatic fall detection to the Android side, signaling a broader race for clinical-grade wearable sensors.
- Epic Games Declares War on the App Store Model
Epic slipped a direct-payment hotfix into Fortnite, got booted from both app stores within hours, and immediately sued Apple and Google.
- Snapdragon 865+ Arrives to Power a New Wave of Gaming Phones
Qualcomm's 865+ chip bumps clock speeds and GPU performance for the next round of Android gaming phones.
- Samsung's Virtual Unpacked Drops Five New Galaxy Devices
Samsung's first fully virtual Unpacked event unveiled the Note20, Note20 Ultra, Z Fold2, Watch3, Buds Live, and Tab S7 lineup.
- Google's Pixel 4a Just Made $349 Phones Interesting Again
Google unveils the $349 Pixel 4a with a Snapdragon 730G, 5.81-inch OLED display, and a camera reviewers already call the best under $400.
- Samsung Sets August 5 for Its Biggest Unpacked Yet
Samsung's invites are out for an August 5 Unpacked event expected to reveal the Note 20, Z Fold 2, Watch 3, Buds Live, and Tab S7.
- Pressure to ban TikTok in the US keeps escalating
CFIUS scrutiny and talk of a forced ByteDance divestiture show the US moving closer to real action against TikTok.
- ASUS ROG Phone 3 Lands in India with a 144Hz Display
ASUS brings the gaming-focused ROG Phone 3 to India with a 144Hz AMOLED screen and Snapdragon 865 Plus.
- OnePlus Nord Launches, Aiming Squarely at the Affordable-Flagship Crowd
OnePlus officially launched the Nord today, packing Snapdragon 765G, a 90Hz display, and quad cameras into a mid-range price.
- Vivo's X50 Series Bets Big on a Gimbal in Your Pocket
Vivo's newly launched X50 Pro swaps standard OIS for a micro-gimbal stabilization system aimed at smoother handheld video.
- Qualcomm's Snapdragon 865 Plus Breaks the 3GHz Barrier
Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 865 Plus hits 3.1GHz on its Prime core and adds a faster GPU and Wi-Fi 6E support.
- Budget Phones Are Carrying Android Through the Pandemic
Realme's C-series and Samsung's Galaxy M01 Core show how cheap Android hardware is keeping volumes up while flagship demand softens.
- India Pulls the Plug on TikTok and 58 Other Chinese Apps
India banned TikTok, UC Browser, WeChat, Helo and 55 other Chinese apps tonight, citing national security in the wake of the Galwan Valley clash.
- The Next Wave of Flagship Phone Chips Is Already Warming Up
A faster Snapdragon 865 refresh and a wider spread of 5G-capable chips look set to reshape flagship and mid-range phones later in 2020.
- Are Foldable Phones Ready for Prime Time Yet?
A look at where foldables stand after Samsung's Z Flip and Motorola's Razr reboot, and why most people should probably still wait.
- Google's Pixel 4a Launch Slips Into Limbo
Google pushes back the Pixel 4a's expected June 3 unveiling with no new date, leaving budget phone shoppers waiting.
- Android 11 Beta 1 arrives quietly, minus the show Google had planned
Google shipped Android 11 Beta 1 for Pixel devices today, having scrapped its planned launch event to make space for coverage of the George Floyd protests.
- Vivo's X50 Pro Puts a Camera Gimbal Inside a Phone
Vivo launched the X50 series in China with the X50 Pro's built-in micro-gimbal stabilization, a hardware answer to shaky-phone-video woes.
- Google Pumps the Brakes on Android 11's Beta Launch
Google postponed its June 3 Android 11 beta event, saying now isn't the time to celebrate amid nationwide unrest.
- 5G Phones Are Finally Getting Affordable
A wave of new launches from Motorola, Infinix, Realme, and Xiaomi shows 5G handsets creeping toward mainstream prices, led by the $699 OnePlus 8.
- Apple and Google Flip the Switch on Exposure Notification
The joint Apple/Google Exposure Notification API is now live for public health agencies, running Bluetooth-based COVID exposure alerts at the OS level.
- Inside the Apple-Google Contact-Tracing API, Ahead of Its Launch
A look at the Exposure Notification API before Apple and Google hand it to public-health agencies this week.
- Google I/O 2020 Cancelled: Here's What Happened Instead
Google I/O was supposed to open today; instead we got a surprise Android 11 preview and a tentative June 3 beta date.
- OnePlus 8 Review Roundup: The Cheapest Way Into 5G
Reviews of the OnePlus 8 are in, and the consensus is that this is the most sensible way to buy a 5G flagship right now.
- OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro Finally Hit US Shelves
OnePlus's Snapdragon 865 flagships go on sale in the US today, starting at $699 and $899.
- Apple and Google Hand Developers the Exposure-Notification API
The first version of the joint Apple/Google COVID-19 exposure-notification API is now available to public health developers ahead of May's public rollout.
- With the Gym Closed, Your Wrist Is the New Trainer
As lockdowns keep gyms shuttered, interest in smartwatches and fitness bands is spiking as people look for ways to track workouts at home.
- The Second-Gen iPhone SE Is Apple's Bet That Specs Aren't Everything
Apple's new $399 iPhone SE packs the A13 Bionic into the iPhone 8 body, betting that power and price matter more than a modern design.
- OnePlus Goes Flagship-Only With the 8 and 8 Pro
OnePlus announced the 8 and 8 Pro today, both packing Snapdragon 865 and Adreno 650, with US sales opening April 29.
- Apple and Google Team Up on a Contact-Tracing API
Apple and Google jointly announced a Bluetooth exposure-notification API to let public health apps on iOS and Android interoperate.